Creamier whites

Finding the right neutral base colour for a single room, or even your whole house, is trickier than it seems.

You need shades that are versatile and will look in rooms of all shapes and sizes, will give you a blank, but not boring, canvas to build on.

This is exactly where the on-trend warm, creamier whites really come into their own. The subtle yellow-toned base of colours like the popular Resene Spanish White and its variants, give a softer and more inviting finish to a room, blurring edges, and complementing other bolder shades rather than throwing up sharp contrasts.

These warm shades have come back into vogue as the fondness for the cool, clean lines of the Scandi look evolve into earthier looks that are still natural, but deeper and more textured.

We’ve also realised how versatile the creamier base colours can be. Different light levels, or adjacent colours in accessories like carpet and curtains can change the appearance of shades like Resene Half Spanish White room to room. It means opting for one neutral background shade through a home is never monotonous. Each room can reflect a different personality, while still maintaining a coherent relationship with each other.

It’s a shade that does a great job of enhancing bold colours like deep greens and wine reds. But it also works incredibly well with layers of other graduated neutral shades. Or try it with new sun-baked shades of red and orange for a light-filled summery finish.

You can also experiment with the density and strength of your Resene Spanish White base. Try it in a half, quarter or eight strength for lighter, gentler hints of creaminess. Or go bolder with a double or triple strength version.

You’re really only limited by your imagination. Get some test posts and play with layers of colour and see how your Resene Spanish White base changes mood in different spaces with different colour matches.

A classic approach

This tonal dining room is both warm and fresh, with traditional overtones.

The Resene Half Spanish white walls are the perfect backdrop to allow the clay and earth tones of the accessories to come to the fore. Texture adds depth – with the rug, the dried foliage, the relief wall hanging and the floor finished in Resene Colorwood Whitewash. The tall, elegant sideboard is painted in Resene Eighth Stonewashed, the chairs are in Resene Napa, the neo-classical plant stand is in Resene Artisan and the plant pot is Resene Half Spanish White. This room is a fantastic example of how carefully layering multiple graduating neutral tones can really bring a room to life. The trick is to make sure your layers all have a similar, warm base tone so they build on each other rather than fight each other.

Resene Half Spanish White

Resene Eighth Stonewashed

Resene Napa

Resene Artisan

California cool

California cool meets desert heat in this fun dining space.

The toasted, spiciness of Resene Sunbaked chair, pot and stool is accentuated by the creamy Resene Half Spanish White walls. The desert-sunset vibe is further enhanced by tonal layers of the slightly peachy and sandy shades of Resene Shabby Chic and Resene Despacito. Freshen the whole look with green leaves and Resene Colorwood Whitewash floors to keep it grounded in nature.

Paint colours: Walls: Resene Half Spanish White. Floor: Resene Colorwood Whitewash. Peg stools: (from left) Resene Sunbaked, Resene Despacito and Resene Shabby Chic (front). Plant pot and chair: Resene Sunbaked.

Leafy greens

This pretty, pristine dining room is a perfect example of how a warm white such as Resene Half Spanish White can ground softer, more pastel shades, giving some depth and making them more impactful.

Here the layers of tonal greens – Resene Nourish, Resene Kandinsky and Resene Aura - make this space feel sunny and light-filled, while the creamer back wall and the grain of the Resene Colorwood Whitewash floor keep it all from coming across as too chilly. Instead, particularly with the addition of leafy textures, it feels invigorating and summery.

Resene Half Spanish White

Resene Kandinsky

Resene Aura

Resene Nourish

Olive Green

Resene Poured milk

Styling by Kate Alexander. Images by Bryce Carleton.